


The Night After

by kafuka



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 15:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kafuka/pseuds/kafuka
Summary: After deciding to return to Earth, Team Voltron gets some rest. Keith and Shiro talk.





	The Night After

**Author's Note:**

> OH MY GOD JUST TAKE IT. I STARTED THIS THE DAY AFTER SEASON SIX 6 CAME OUT AND HERE I AM FINISHING WITH SIX HOURS UNTIL SEASON 7 DROPS. JUST TAKE IT AND LEAVE ME TO MY MISERY.

Getting back home was going to take a lot longer than they thought.

Without the castle and its wormholes, the only way to get where they were going was to pilot the lions to the closest coalition-friendly planet and work on a plan from there. When pressed, Coran admitted even he wasn’t sure exactly where they were. Hunk and Pidge went right to work mapping the stars above them, but about half an hour into it, both of them were yawning.

“I think it’s time we all got some rest.” Allura said, pulling what looked like an Altean sextant from Pidge’s lax fingers.

Pidge jolted awake from where she had been drifting off on Hunk’s shoulder. “Wait, give that back! We’re so close to... to…” She broke off, stifling a yawn. “Okay, a nap sounds good.”

“A full night’s sleep sounds better,” Lance said, rising from where he’d been dozing, tucked into Hunk’s other side. He stretched his arms over his head. “I’m gonna go bunk in my lion. I’m not into sleeping under the stars.”

“That’s a good idea,” Coran said. “I think I’ll join you.”

“What, in Red?” Lance asked.

“Well, I don’t exactly have anywhere else to sleep, so it looks like I’m bunking with you!” Coran grabbed Lance’s shoulders and starting hauling him in the direction of the red lion.

Pidge and Hunk headed to their lions and Allura invited Romelle to sleep in Blue. 

Keith looked down at this lap. Shiro’s head was resting on one of his thighs. He was curled on his side, back facing the small fire they had all helped build while trying to plot a course. Keith’s wolf was curled up on Shiro’s other side, his head resting on Shiro’s thigh. He looked expectantly at Keith over Shiro’s relaxed body. Keith pet him on the head and turned to his mother who sat on the other side of the fire.

“Krolia?” Keith said, “Do you want to stay with me in Black? I could use the help getting Shiro inside anyway.”

Krolia smiled, bemusedly. “Are you sure all four of us can fit in there?”

“It’ll be tight, but we can make it. I just want to make sure Shiro gets enough rest somewhere more comfortable.”

Krolia nodded and stood up, crossing over to Keith’s side of the fire. “Alright, but I’m bunking with Wolf.”

***

It took a little longer than Keith hoped, but he and Krolia managed to carry Shiro to Black and get him settled on one of the bunks at the back of the lion. Keith set to work removing Shiro’s armor plates while Krolia fiddled with the controls for the bunk on the opposite side of the room.

“Soundproofing, window tinting, adjustable lighting, air vents.” Krolia said, a smile tugging at the corner of her usually stoic lips. “And you said these would be uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t say uncomfortable, I said ‘tight.’ As you can see, there are only two.” Keith said, trying to nudge Shiro onto his side so he could undo the straps holding the black bodysuit closed. 

“They’re also pretty spacious.” She said.

Keith huffed but ignored her.

Krolia slid onto the bunk, patted the space next to her, and Wolf jumped up. “Do you need any more help with him, or am I free to turn in for the night?”

Keith made another annoyed noise through his nose. “Goodnight, mom.”

Krolia grinned. “Goodnight, son.” The window on her bunk slid closed and tinted to a dark gray. 

Keith looked over his shoulder and smiled. It was still weird having a mom, even after spending two years getting to know each other on the back of a space whale - or, maybe, in spite of it. He wasn’t used to being doted on, to good-natured teasing and easy smiles. The only other person aside from his dad he had considered family was laying in front of him, back from the dead. All in all, Keith had been lucky, a term he never used to think applied to him.

He finished pulling the bodysuit down Shiro’s arm and back and surveyed the damage to his back and chest. The pod had helped a lot, but half-faded bruises and a few gashes and cuts were just beginning to heal over. 

Keith brushed a hand over Shiro’s left shoulder blade where he swore he remembered him having a particularly nasty scar before. He thought back to when he found Shiro the second time, piloting a tiny escape pod and sporting some very grown out hair. Did he not have the scar then? He’d helped Shiro out of his prisoner’s grab and into pajamas, but Keith couldn’t remember. He’d ignored so many things he shouldn’t have in the last few months.

He left Shiro’s bodysuit hanging around his waist and slipped off the edge of the bunk. He tapped a couple of buttons on the control panel and the lights inside shut off. Keith pulled a blanket over Shiro’s shoulders and let the tinted window close.

Stepping out of the bunk room, Keith made for the tiny washroom, tucked behind the cockpit. He unhooked his armor plates as he went, dropping them just outside the door. He went to rummage through some of the storage bins he and Krolia had loaded into the cockpit, hoping his clothes were easily accessible. The top layer of boxes were naturally food and water, so Keith moved them to the floor and checked underneath. Behind the stack of bins was the gym bag Keith kept his personal belongings in, which were only a few changes of clothes - mostly his, but also Shiro’s.

Keith pulled out some of his own pajamas and managed to find a black tshirt he was pretty sure would fit Shiro, as well as a second pair of sweatpants. Keith balled up all the clothes and brought them to the washroom. He stripped off his bodysuit and stood in the corner of the room where a makeshift shower head was attached to the wall. He’d never had much reason to use this shower (and Coran had said it was really for emergencies, like if they were on fire or something), so he fiddled with the faucets for a little longer than he would have liked before the hot water started running. 

He rinsed out his hair and looked around for soap. All he could find was a small bar of soap on the sink, so he grabbed that and lathered up, hoping it would do something about how disgusting he smelled. Getting into the fight of your life with your best friend’s evil clone and then immediately having to vacate the spaceship castle that had been your home for the last year was really sweaty business.

Keith closed his eyes as the fight came back to him. Now that things were quiet and there was no rush to fight or flee, his mind got stuck on an endless loop, replaying the fight with Shiro. He saw the look of malice on Shiro’s face when he tried to tell Keith he was worthless; the remorseless smile when he insinuated everyone was dead; the shock when Keith told him he’d loved him.

The shock was what drove Keith over the edge. It was made him realize he had to end it. Even if everyone else was gone, even if they would never make it home, Keith had to make sure Shiro was okay. 

And his blade did the rest.

Keith turned off the water and groped blindly for a towel. Only finding a small hand towel, he grunted in frustration and began the long task of drying off. 

Not entirely dry, Keith pulled on his pajamas, gathered up his uniform pieces and Shiro’s clothes, and left the washroom. He dumped his uniform in the pilot’s seat and headed to the back of the lion and the bunks. 

His mother’s bunk was still closed and dark, as was Shiro’s. Keith hesitated as he reached for the control panel to open the bunk’s window. Would he be able to get Shiro into different clothes without hurting him? Should he try to wake him up? Or should he just let him be and sleep on the floor for now? He paused with his fingers centimeters from the button, trying to decide and wondering if he’d packed any spare blankets and pillows. 

He sighed and pressed a button on the control panel, opening the bunk’s hatch. To his surprise, he saw Shiro sitting in the back corner, half his face pressed against the wall, awake and smiling at him. 

“Hey Keith,” he said in a quiet, overused voice. He coughed a little and Keith dropped the clothes he’d brought with him onto the bed and sat down next to him. 

“Hey Shiro,” Keith said, reaching out to place a hand on Shiro’s forearm. “How do you feel? Are you sure you want to be awake?”

Shiro nodded and swallowed. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m tired, but I woke up alone and wasn’t really sure where I was, so…”

Keith winced. Of course. That was stupid of him. “I’m sorry, I should have stayed with you until you woke up.”

Shiro laughed softly and shook his head. “I mean, I figured it out. I can still feel Black all around me. I did spend a while living inside her head.”

“That makes sense.” Keith said and he squeezed Shiro’s forearm. “As long as you feel safe. Do you want to change? I brought you some clothes.” Keith nodded toward the pile he left on the bed.

“Maybe in a minute,” Shiro said, his eyes not following Keith’s nod. “I was wondering if we could talk?”

“Oh,” Keith said quietly. “Sure.”

“Could you,” Shiro started and gazed warily out past Keith. “Could you come in here? And close the hatch?”

Keith nodded, swung his legs onto the bunk, and pressed a button on the inner control panel, shutting the bunk off from the rest of the room. He tapped the panel a few more times and the lights turned on, though they stayed dim. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Keith asked.

Shiro smiled tiredly at him. “Well, I wanted to thank you for saving me. Again. This has got to be at least the eight hundredth time.”

Keith grinned. “You might be overestimating a little, but of course. I told you, ‘As many times as it takes.’ ...Wait.” He searched Shiro’s face for any hint of recognition. “I told that… to him.”

“Him?” Shiro asked.

“Not you. But him. The other you.”

“The clone.”

Keith nodded but said nothing.

Shiro looked down at himself, at the bodysuit stripped to his waist and then over to his missing arm. “It’s been a long time since I remember having a body, but I still also have memories of this one. Of you finding him floating out in space, of him sitting in bed asking you how many times you were going to save him before it was all over. I remember your answer, Keith. It’s all a bit of a haze, but it’s in there, somewhere.”

“What else do you remember?” Keith asked. “Of when he was you?”

“I remember asking Black to let me pilot again. It was weird, because I remember asking her, but I also remember hearing the plea while in Black’s head. I remember not wanting to let this other me take over. But I could feel what he felt; that he was scared.”

“Scared?” Keith asked.

“He was scared because people were in danger. That his friends needed his help, but that he hadn’t been able to pilot Black since he returned. He was also a little angry that you weren’t there to do it.”

Keith looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Shiro said. “I could feel you too, every time you piloted Black. You had so much doubt and fear at first. You didn’t think you could measure up to me, which as you now know, was wrong.” He smiled and Keith smiled back.

“But you did it. You figured out how to lead. And I was so proud to be able to feel that in you. I told Black that if she needed to let me go, it was okay. She didn’t have to keep me inside her mind, because you had become the leader I knew you could be. But she said no, which I was surprised by. And I didn’t understand until you picked him up.”

“Did Black know?” Keith asked. “That the clone was coming?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro shook his head. “But she didn’t want to let me leave. I think she hoped I’d be able to get through to you guys. I almost did once, with Lance.”

Keith quirked an eyebrow. “Lance?”

Shiro shrugged as best he could with only one arm. “It’s a long story, but it didn’t work. You were the only one I could get through to.”

“Why didn’t you try earlier?” Keith asked, moving closer to Shiro and pressing a hand to his metallic shoulder. “I piloted Black for a while.”

Shiro shook his head. “I didn’t see a point. My body was gone and there was nothing I needed to tell you guys until he showed up. And really, what could I do from inside the Black Lion?”

Keith was silent. Shiro had a point, and two years and a space whale trip ago, Keith would have yelled at him, told him he needed him, screamed about how it all was unfair. But now it made more sense. Shiro was a fighter, but he had never been particularly optimistic when it came to himself. The self-deprecating humor, the jokes about death, all of that was Shiro’s way with dealing with the cruelty of a chaotic universe, one that gave him big dreams but also saddled him with gross medical limitations. If anyone knew how terribly fate could treat a good person, it was Shiro.

Crossing his arm across his chest, Shiro placed his hand on top of Keith’s. “That wasn’t all that I wanted to talk to you about, though.”

Keith nodded and squeezed Shiro’s metallic shoulder. He wasn’t sure it could be felt, but Shiro squeezed back and then returned his hand to his side. Keith brought his hand back to his lap. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Like I said, everything’s still a little hazy, but I’m sure it will all come back in time. But something sticks out, and that was the fight.”

Keith winced, looking away. “You remember that?”

Shiro nodded minutely. “I remember the last day of the clone’s life. You returning from wherever you were with an Altean, a space wolf, and your mother. I remember his joy in meeting Krolia, his pride when she thanked him for taking care of you. Then Haggar flipping the switch and making him kidnap Lotor and bring him to her. Her giving him orders to lure you away. I remember the fight and everything you said to him, everything you did to try and snap him out of it.

“Keith,” Shiro said, leaning forward a little. “I remember you telling him you loved him and calling him your brother.”

Keith nodded, still looking at his lap.

“Do you… do you still feel that way? About him? About me?” Shiro asked.

Keith’s head snapped up. “Of course I still feel that way about you! I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”

Shiro smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m glad.”

Keith rested his hand on top of Shiro’s.“You’re not.”

“What? Of course I a--”

“You’re not,” Keith repeated. “I can see it in your eyes. Something’s still wrong. Is it what I said?”

Shiro looked away for a split second. Keith could practically see the thoughts churning in his head. “No, it’s not what you said. It’s… Keith, I love you too, but I’ve never had a brother.”

Keith blinked. “Okay…?”

Shiro tried to laugh but it came out more like a wheeze. “And neither have you.”

“Well, no, not a biological one.” Keith said. “What are you getting at?”

“Keith, I…” Shiro turned his head slowly and looked Keith dead in the eye. “I don’t think I love you the way you love a brother.”

Keith felt something seize in his chest. “...What?”

Shiro smiled and this time it reached his eyes. “Keith, I think I’m in love with you.”

“Oh,” Keith said quietly. “Wouldn’t you… wouldn’t you know though? If you’re in love with someone?”

“It’s not always easy to recognize.” Shiro said, looking down, his smile diminishing. Watching it disappear from his face made Keith’s stomach drop. “I just know that what I feel for you is a lot different than what I’ve felt for anyone else. I… I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

“Shiro, no, I--” Keith started, but wasn’t sure where to go. Did he want to hear his best friend was in love with him? Was he maybe in love with Shiro too? He was right, he’d never had a brother. “I’m glad you love me.” He said instead.

A tiny smile returned to Shiro’s face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, mirroring the smile. “I can’t say for sure I know I’m in love with you, but I’m glad that you care so much about me. I care a lot about you too.”

“I know,” Shiro said, his smile turning a little wry. “I don’t want you to think you have to reciprocate. I just know that you’ve done so much for me, saved me so many times, brought me back over and over. I don’t think it’s possible to not be in love someone who cares that much about you.”

Shiro pulled his hand out from under Keith’s and reached up to trace his fingers across the scar on Keith’s cheek. Keith grimaced, knowing full well what was going through Shiro’s mind. “But I also know what I did to you was inexcusable--”

“Shiro, no,” Keith said, grabbing Shiro’s hand. He jolted at Keith’s touch, but Keith wrapped his fingers around Shiro’s and held his hand to his face. “You didn’t do this to me. The witch did it. She cloned you, she reprogrammed the clone, and she used him to hurt us. If it’s anyone’s fault that this happened, it’s mine.”

Shiro blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I should have seen it. I should have known something was wrong. We were fighting, which is something we never did before. We talked about everything, but when you came back, we kept clashing over how to lead! I thought you… I thought you were disappointed with me as a leader. That it… made you hate me.” Keith closed his eyes and pressed Shiro palm closer to his cheek, turning his face towards it.

Shiro traced his thumb over Keith’s cheekbone. “Keith, I could never hate you.”

“I know!” Keith hissed. “I know that now. I know you care about me. I know you’re in love with me. But back then I wasn’t so sure. So when the opportunity to join the Blades full time came up, I took it. I felt like I was holding everyone back, trying to split my time, and you -- he -- told me to go. It didn’t even occur to me that that might have been Haggar calling the shots, using the fights we were having to drive a wedge between us, or making him encourage me to leave.”

Keith bit his lip. “But now that I know, I can’t help but think I should have seen it. You were so different, but I thought being held captive by the Galra and escaping again had hurt you in different ways. That it changed you. You were a little different when you came back the first time. I thought this time you just needed space. I thought you would be a better leader for the team, and that it would be better if I left.”

He let go of Shiro’s hand and Shiro dropped his palm from Keith’s cheek. “Keith, can you help me sit up?”

“Huh?” Keith blinked at him. “Oh, sure.” He leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Shiro’s shoulders, hoisting him forward. As soon as Shiro was in sitting position, instead of settling back against the wall like Keith figured he would, Shiro pushed forward and grabbed Keith’s shoulders with his arm and crushed him against his chest. He ran his hand up Keith’s neck and buried it in his hair. He pressed his face against the top of Keith’s head and said “I will always encourage you to do what you think is right for yourself Keith, but I will never, ever let you think I would be better off if you were gone.”

Keith’s hands been crushed against Shiro’s chest when he was pulled into the embrace, and now he felt them curl up involuntarily to stop them from shaking. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes and he swallowed hard to keep the lump in his throat from rising. He drew his arms out from between the two of them and wrapped them gently around Shiro’s back, still unsure of how injured he might be. And he sat there in Shiro’s arms and cried.

Keith’s curled fists loosened as he cried and eventually slipped down to Shiro’s hips, coming to rest on the edge of the bodysuit he’d left hanging from his waist. He gripped that instead, feeling the stretchy, synthetic material still warm from Shiro’s body. Shiro’s new body. The same body that had tried to kill Keith, but also the same one he’d cradled while Allura’s alchemy returned Shiro to life. His Shiro -- down an arm, white-haired, but finally whole.

Shiro stroked his hair through it and gently nuzzled the top of his head. Through his sobbing and shaking, Keith thought he felt Shiro press a kiss to his temple, but he figured he may have just bumped his head against Shiro’s mouth. It occurred to Keith that a gentle, comforting kiss from Shiro might not be the worst thing in the world.

Pulling back and sitting up straight, Keith took Shiro’s hand in his. He wiped at his eyes with his other hand and smiled. “Thank you,” he said quietly, his face a little flushed with embarrassment.

“Of course,” Shiro said, squeezing his hand. “Are you okay?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah. I just… Can I ask you something?”

Shiro nodded.

“Why did you decide to tell me you’re in love with me?”

Shiro closed his eyes and chuckled. “Keith, I just came back from the dead.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “I know.”

Shiro laughed again. “I’ve been kidnapped by aliens, tortured, died, cloned, mind-controlled, died again -- if I don’t do it now, with my luck, I don’t know when I’ll get a chance again.”

Keith said nothing for a long moment, but slowly nodded. “We’re still fighting. We don’t know what could happen next.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said. “Exactly.”

Keith dropped Shiro’s hand and touched his cheek. He traced the edge of the scar across Shiro’s nose.

“Keith…?” Shiro asked.

“Shiro,” Keith leaned forward, “I love you too,” he said and closed the gap between them.

The kiss was softer than either of them expected. A gentle press of dry lips that lasted only a few seconds. Neither of them moved apart even as Keith sat back just enough to look Shiro in the eyes. He kept his hand on Shiro’s cheek and looked up at him through his long eyelashes. 

“I love you too,” Keith repeated and smiled.

“You’re sure?” Shiro asked hesitantly, placing a hand over the one Keith had on his face.

Keith’s smile widened. “You know I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

Shiro matched his smile. “Yeah. I know.”

Keith ran his thumb over Shiro’s cheekbone and pulled his hand away, shuffling back on the bed. “I think it’s time we get some rest. Do you want to put these clothes on?”

Shiro nodded and Keith helped him get the tshirt on over his head. Keith pulled the blanket away and looked at the lower half of Shiro’s black bodysuit hanging around his waist. 

“Uh, is it okay if I help you with that, or would you rather do it yourself?” Keith asked, feeling his face flush.

Shiro shook his head and smiled. “I would appreciate the help.”

Keith nodded and leaned forward back into Shiro’s space. “Okay,” he said, grabbing the edges of the suit. “Lift up on three. One… two…” Shiro braced his back against the wall of the bunk and lifted his hips while Keith tugged the suit down in one swift motion. He averted his eyes and instead focused on pulling the suit the rest of the way off Shiro’s legs. He then grabbed the sweatpants and started helping put them on, very deliberately looking at only what he was doing.

Shiro grinned from the other end of the bunk. “Keith, it’s okay if you look. I’m not going to get mad or anything.”

“Sorry,” Keith stammered, glancing quickly at Shiro’s face and then away just as fast. “This would have been less awkward fives minutes ago.”

Shiro laughed quietly. “No take backs.”

Keith just shook his head and continued to hide his face. “Okay, lift again on three. One… two…” Shiro obeyed and Keith quickly pulled the sweatpants up around his waist, catching only a cursory glance of Shiro’s lower half. 

Without waiting for comment, Keith grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the both of them. He reached behind Shiro and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, tugging gently and helping him lay flat on the bed. When Shiro was comfortable, he lay down next to him and pulled the covers up to their shoulders.

“Need anything else before we get some rest?”

Shiro shook his head, but with his left hand he reached over tucked some of Keith’s hair behind his ear. “I’m okay. Thank you, Keith.”

Keith smiled. Shiro looked exhausted and beaten, but content. His eyes, which Keith remembered had been so dull during their fight, sparkled again, just a little.

“Of course,” Keith said, inching closer on the pillow until he could press a kiss against Shiro brow. “Good night.”

“Good night, Keith. I love you.” Shiro said, pulling his hand away and resting it on his broad chest. His eyes slipped closed.

Keith pressed against his side and lay a hand over Shiro’s. “I love you too, Shiro. Get some rest.”


End file.
